Journey to the West: From Fish-Chasing Boy to the Boundless Heavenly Venerable of the Golden Palace

Eight thousand aquatic creatures fought over the food, and in no time, not a single lotus flower remained on the river surface.

When the lotus flowers have all fallen, the lotus leaves also quickly wither and turn yellow.

"Seven and a half pieces!"

With his six-foot-tall body and his hard, sharp silver scales, Li Yue charged around recklessly, managing to obtain a total of seven and a half lotus petals.

The reason it still has half a petal is that it and a black fish were both holding a lotus petal in their mouths at the same time, and in the ensuing struggle, it only managed to snatch half a petal.

A single lotus petal can grant ten years of cultivation, so Li Yue's cultivation increased by seventy-six years.

His half of the lotus petal was slightly larger.

Li Yue originally had 240 years of cultivation, so now he has 316 years of cultivation.

A century of spiritual awakening, three hundred years of physical transformation.

At this point, he was ready to enter the transformation stage.

"Very good."

With his cultivation level soaring and transformation in sight, Li Yue felt a surge of excitement and anticipation.

Apart from Li Yue, the other aquatic creatures, whether happy or regretful, all gained something, just to varying degrees.

Looking again at the spotted mandarin fish not far away, its size has already exceeded six feet. By that calculation, it should be able to win at least three or four lotus petals.

Of course, given the ferocity of the spotted mandarin fish, it's possible that it could have six or seven pieces, or even more than Li Yue.

It's just unknown how far she is from taking human form.

"Is it over?"

Looking back at the withered lotus leaves covering the river, and then at the Wowo Immortal still standing in the clouds, Li Yue's heart was still filled with joy, and he still had a few extravagant hopes.

Has this grand feast come to an end?

Will they scatter bait again?

Buzz!

Just as he was lost in thought, a burst of golden light suddenly appeared on the surface of the river.

In the distance, at the edge of the lotus field, a withered lotus seedpod was emitting a radiant light.

Click! Click!

Before anyone could react, the lotus seedpod split open, and seven points of light burst out.

It's lotus seeds!

Swallowing a single lotus petal can increase one's cultivation by ten years. What would happen if one swallowed this radiant golden lotus seed?

Suddenly snapping back to his senses, Li Yue flicked his tail forcefully, about to charge forward.

Unfortunately, he was too far away.

Although it was on the edge of the lotus pond, there were still quite a few low-level demons who had been forced there before, but now they had the advantage of being close to the pond.

The moment the lotus seeds burst forth, the nearby demons swarmed forward, leaping up to snatch them.

In an instant, the seven lotus seeds were divided up.

That's it?

Buzz!

Before Li Yue could even feel annoyed, another burst of golden light appeared.

Largemouth catfish, flower toad, red snapper...

The seven little demons who managed to snatch the lotus seeds turned golden as the seeds shone with golden light from within their bellies.

Whoosh!

Then, lifted by the golden light, it slowly left the water and floated in mid-air.

Under the watchful eyes of eight thousand aquatic creatures in the Tongtian River, its body rapidly grew, its gills, scales, fins, and tail shed, and it grew long limbs and facial features became visible.

In the blink of an eye, it had completely transformed into human form.

"This is……"

Li Yue's eyes widened suddenly, his face filled with shock.

The transformation is complete!

It takes a hundred years to awaken the spirit, three hundred years to take human form, and five hundred years to achieve a complete transformation, so that one's appearance is no different from that of a human.

In other words, these seven aquatic beings had at least five hundred years of cultivation by this time.

It should be noted that as the outermost minor demons, they had only just awakened their spiritual power, which is equivalent to a hundred years of cultivation.

This golden lotus seed boosted their cultivation by a full four hundred years!

As the saying goes, comparisons are odious. Li Yue, who had just been gloating over gaining seventy-six years of cultivation by acquiring seven and a half lotus petals, suddenly felt a sense of loss and even frustration.

Splash~ Splash~

Not only Li Yue, but also the other fish spirits and water monsters on the river surface stirred up again, their eyes filled with jealousy as they looked up at the sky.

Especially those who were already in the Transformation stage, with high cultivation and advanced positions, were actually farther away from where the Golden Lotus Seed appeared. It was truly a cruel twist of fate.

At this moment, I couldn't help but think that if they were to seize the Golden Lotus Seed after four hundred years of cultivation, wouldn't they leap directly into the Spirit Gathering stage?

Unfortunately, there is a magic pill in this world that can grant immortality, but there is no medicine for regret.

Frustrated, he stared intently at the seven lucky ones.

Although they had already taken human form, a golden light could still be seen in their lower abdomen, specifically in the dantian area; this was the golden lotus seed.

Could it be that the golden lotus seed has not yet been absorbed?

If it is cut out and swallowed, will it still have the same effect?

Whoosh!

Sensing the cold gazes around them, the seven aquatic creatures who had just taken human form snapped out of their daze and immediately leaped into the water, swimming towards the depths of the Tongtian River.

At this point, they were already the seven with the highest cultivation levels, but even a fierce tiger is no match for a pack of wolves. Moreover, their cultivation levels had suddenly increased, and they were not yet accustomed to it and could not skillfully use this power.

Whoosh!

Seeing the seven escape, a large number of aquatic creatures immediately gave chase, but whether they could catch up was still unknown.

Li Yue glanced at it and saw that the spotted mandarin fish was among them.

That makes sense; given the mandarin fish's personality, how could it possibly let it go?

Li Yue shook his head and remained at a distance without giving chase.

Opportunities are predetermined by fate; if one insists on forcing them, one will only suffer harm.

Although there is some discrepancy, being able to gain seventy-six years of cultivation is already something to be satisfied with.

"They're gone..."

But now, the burrowing immortals were nowhere to be seen in the sky.

I don't know when, but he was already gone.

The last time the Flooding Immortal came was exactly one year ago. I wonder if the Flooding Immortal will visit Tongtian River again in a year and give the aquatic creatures of Tongtian River another opportunity.

Li Yue was slightly lost in thought, then smiled again. By then, he might no longer be in the Tongtian River, and it would be none of his business.

Without thinking further, it flicked its tail and swam towards the depths of the riverbed.

At this moment, the clouds and mist obscured his whereabouts as the white-robed immortal swept across the four-hundred-mile river. Just as he was about to continue his journey, he suddenly noticed a pink, sinister aura below and couldn't help but stop to take a closer look.

On the riverbank stood a small temple, from which the eerie aura emanated.

The white-robed immortal frowned and descended from the clouds.

"A half-open window to the bright moon, a half-moonlit spring night is perfect for dreams; a pillow to wander among immortals, a heart full of sorrow with no way to express it."

The white-robed immortal glanced at the couplets on both sides of the small temple's door frame, his face darkening, and he stomped his bare foot on the ground.

"Where is the land?!"

A cloud of white mist billowed up from the ground, and a short old man holding a wooden staff appeared; he was the local earth god.

"This humble deity pays respects to Your Excellency!"

Upon seeing the white-robed immortal, the local deity quickly bowed and paid his respects.

"I beg Your Excellency's forgiveness for not being able to greet you from afar."

"Putting aside the blame for being late and negligent, let me ask you something."

The white-robed immortal had a solemn expression and pointed to the temple behind him.

"What temple is this?"

"Reporting back to the Venerable One, this is the Temple of the Dream Man."

"Among all the gods and Buddhas, is there a Dream Man?"

"Reporting to the Venerable One, there is no such position as Dream Master in the register of gods and Buddhas. This so-called Dream Master is actually a demon in disguise."

"That is licentious worship!"

The white-robed immortal sternly rebuked him, his expression growing even more severe.

"You are the local landowner, yet you stood by and watched as licentious rituals arose; do you know your sin?"

"This humble god knows his crime! This humble god knows his crime!"

Seeing the white-robed immortal become angry, the local deity was so frightened that he almost lost his mind and hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.

The white-robed immortal's face was full of anger. He opened his palm, and a solid iron rod appeared in his hand.

With a thud, the iron rod smashed the statue in the temple, and then swept it across, collapsing half of the small temple.

"This is!"

In the Tongtian River, Li Yue, who was about to return to the west bank, suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Someone vandalized his temple and statues!